POLL: What’s Seafair without the hydros?

The hydroplane races are to Seafair what fireworks are to the Fourth of July – would the weekends be the same without them?

A financial dispute between the unlimited hydroplane owners and the Seafair organizers could spell the end of the Lake Washington tradition.

The hydros have been coming to Seattle for Seafair weekend for six decades. But Seafair lost General Motors as a title sponsor and doesn’t have the same financial clout as it did last year. On Monday, the owners split 5-5 on the latest offer from Seafair.

The specter of losing the fireworks at Gas Works Park rallied the Seattle community to raise enough money to save the annual show. But the hydros are a bit more polarizing than the pyros.

The hydroplane races and the Blue Angels shows during Seafair draw the ire on many in Seattle – especially relative newcomers to the city.

But many longtime and native Seattleites cling to those traditions. The hydro races aren’t the draw they were even a decade ago, but they still attract an enthusiastic crowd to the log booms every year.

Seafair President Beth Knox said she is confident the dispute will be resolved to keep the tradition going. Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times has a more detailed look at the conflict.